A large fire erupted at the Florida mosque attended by Pulse nightclub attacker Omar Mateen early Monday, police said.
St. Lucie County cops rushed to the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce shortly after 12:30 a.m. when a witness called 911 to report the growing blaze, Deputy Bryan Beaty told.
“Someone driving by, they saw flames coming out of the roof,” Beaty said.
Firefighters tackled the mosque fire along Midway Rd. for at least four hours, but a few hotspots remained inside the building as of 4:30 a.m. Monday.
Police said it’s too early to determine what sparked the fire — and if arson was a factor — until the remaining flames are extinguished and day breaks.
The extent of the damage is unclear at this time, Beaty added.
He said deputies did not see anyone at the mosque when they first arrived.
Mateen began attending the Fort Pierce mosque as a child and continued to visit the Islamic house of worship several days a week, iman Syed Shafeeq Rahman said after the Orlando massacre.
The bloody assault killed 49 people and wounded dozens more at the gay nightclub where Mateen allegedly frequented leading up to the June 12 rampage.
Rahman fervently denied Mateen, 29, was radicalized at the mosque and said the Islamic Center had no ties to Islamic State.
“They have hijacked our religion,” Rahman told the Palm Beach Post. “They have caused more trouble for us than anyone.”
